tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-216553052018-03-07T14:13:15.724+13:00Full Of Sound And FuryThe sane create; the mad are merely miserable. (Adam Phillips, from Going Sane)gnutehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04531420382594855447noreply@blogger.comBlogger152125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21655305.post-53899317216940183432016-10-23T17:35:00.002+13:002016-10-23T17:36:23.733+13:00A Poem I Wrote About Email Encryption<b>Cypher</b><br />by Lydia Chai <b><br /></b><br /><br />Our maths teacher corrects us<br /><i>Sifar bukan kosong</i><br />It's zero like an unfilled hand<br />Not empty like a loud tin can<br /><br />Years later, I learn that<br />Sifar is Arabic for cipher<br />And naught became a number<br />Wearing an invisible cloak<br />Choosing to be unseen.<br /><br />My hands on the keyboard<br />Send you knotted messages<br />A mess of ones and zeroes<br />Tamed into a single thought<br />Which itself is neither<br />flesh nor nothing.<br /><br />Only you, a world away,<br />Unsheath the words.<br />They begin, "<i>Comrade...</i>"gnutehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04531420382594855447noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21655305.post-8953227235466701062015-10-06T21:26:00.001+13:002015-10-06T21:26:14.442+13:00Haze Song<br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">"The Current Haze Over Southeast Asia Could Be Among the Worst Ever" - <a href="http://time.com/4060786/haze-singapore-indonesia-malaysia-pollution/">TIME Magazine</a></blockquote><br /><br /><i>I think of you</i><br /><i>in a city of silhouettes</i><br /><i>ash and smoke</i><br /><i>working into your pores,</i><br /><i>the oppressive outdoors</i><br /><i>with a grip on your throat.</i><br /><i>I think of you</i><br /><i>a wilful animal</i><br /><i>brilliant and burned</i><br /><i>under a fiery lantern</i><br /><i>formerly known as the sun.</i><br /><br />Lydia Chaignutehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04531420382594855447noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21655305.post-66091037677945677372015-08-05T10:03:00.000+12:002015-08-05T10:03:33.648+12:00Skinny Love<iframe frameborder="no" height="166" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/209167417&amp;color=ff5500&amp;auto_play=false&amp;hide_related=false&amp;show_comments=true&amp;show_user=true&amp;show_reposts=false" width="100%"></iframe>gnutehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04531420382594855447noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21655305.post-74204828240153896752015-04-12T14:12:00.002+12:002015-04-12T14:12:41.382+12:00Malaysia's Sedition Act and the art of kung fuThis week Malaysia further descended into the dark ages when Parliament passed new laws, namely the Prevention of Terrorism Act and an amended Sedition Act, that would make aspiring dictators green with envy.<br /><br />It basically means that even this innocent and rationally written blog post could land me in jail. Other horrific implications may be read at the <a href="http://cilisos.my/revised-sedition-law-might-jail-you-for-3-years-for-sharing-this-article/">cilisos</a> website.<br /><br />For non-Malaysian readers who don't know what 'sedition' means because they don't get this concept slammed in their faces every day by the media: sedition is when you say/do/tweet something that incites discontent towards the government.<br /><br />It appears that the above bills were tabled in Parliament without enough time for the MPs to fully consider all their implications. What ended up happening was that MPs stayed up debating the draconian laws until past midnight for three out of four consecutive nights. Tired and outnumbered, those who opposed the new laws lost the fight.<br /><br />It's obvious that the ruling party BN was fighting wing chun style. Shock the opponent and strike consecutively til they're down. I have to say, it's quite impressive.<br /><br />Already, I am witnessing friends who are usually vocal activists getting nervous about invoking not just the wrath but the mere irritation of the regime.<br /><br />But bullies are usually thin-skinned. In the end, it's no use treading on eggshells with such people because you're damned if you do and you're damned if you don't.<br /><br />So watudu?<br /><br />I don't have answers. All I know is that I want to talk about things openly and not in a foaming-at-the-mouth manner. Be grown-up about it. That's what democracy is.<br /><br />But back to the wing chun analogy. BN is the fighter who punches hard, fast and relentlessly. If you've chi sau'd before, you know the overwhelming shame of being at the receiving end of those punches.&nbsp;Likewise, Malaysians have been cowed big time.<br /><br /><b><i>I asked myself, what would my Sifu advise if such a thing happened to me in combat?</i></b><br /><br />Usually in such a scenario, the thing to do in defense is any of the following:<br /><br /><b>Keep calm</b>. You cannot let your shame get you down. Don't take it personally; detach yourself and react accordingly.<br /><br /><b>Control the blind side</b>. In other words, hit your opponent's weak spot. Better still if it's a weak spot he's not aware of.<br /><br /><b>Use your opponent's force against him</b>. This principle is also from aikido, not just wing chun. Turn the tables.<br /><br />Finally -<br /><br />'<b>There is no retreating step in wing chun</b>.' I interpret this saying to mean that one must always exert forward pressure and must have the confidence to step into an opponent's attack (wing chun is close quarter fighting, after all). Even if you have to step sideways or backwards to avoid a hit, it should be done in a way that diffuses your opponent's oncoming force.<br /><br />Interpret the above strategies however you wish.&nbsp;I'm not an expert in wing chun or politics. I don't have the answers.<br /><br />All I know is, I will not retreat.<br /><br />End of blog post.gnutehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04531420382594855447noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21655305.post-67861531944963938352015-01-30T23:52:00.002+13:002015-01-30T23:52:51.977+13:00Old writing <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:OfficeDocumentSettings> <o:AllowPNG/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings></xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves>false</w:TrackMoves> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing> <w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing> <w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery> <w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:DontAutofitConstrainedTables/> <w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/> </w:Compatibility> </w:WordDocument></xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="276"> </w:LatentStyles></xml><![endif]--> <!--[if gte mso 10]><style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} </style><![endif]--> <!--StartFragment--> <br /><div class="MsoNormal">She said, “The middle-aged man inside me, who wants to exchange his habits for new ones, who wants to jump the rails and zigzag like a knight on a chessboard, loves you.”</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">He said, “The fiery critic inside me, who sneers at the crows in the morning, who hates her mother’s cooking, who giggles when puppies lick her hand, loves you.”</div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>&nbsp;</div><div class="MsoNormal">She said, “The boy inside me, who collects leaves to make a deck of cards, who is daily fed the love of his quiet mother, who chased the class bully round the block and got detention for it, whose face glows like a happy moon, who fiddles with the lint in his right pocket, loves you.”</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">He said, “The lonely giraffe inside me, who forages the treetops with a song in his head, loves you.”</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><!--EndFragment-->gnutehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04531420382594855447noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21655305.post-69275429399000041532014-11-16T00:16:00.000+13:002014-11-16T00:16:35.659+13:00Buy an artwork, help a kid sleep easy<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:OfficeDocumentSettings> <o:AllowPNG/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings></xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves>false</w:TrackMoves> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing> <w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing> <w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery> <w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:DontAutofitConstrainedTables/> <w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/> </w:Compatibility> </w:WordDocument></xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="276"> </w:LatentStyles></xml><![endif]--> <!--[if gte mso 10]><style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} </style><![endif]--> <!--StartFragment--> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">I am raising money to buy some essentials for my family (like a bed for my adorable kid) and am selling my paintings at mate's rates, so get in while you can!</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">These are high quality watercolours on Hannemuhle paper without frames, with a wide range of sizes from dinner table size (which is unusual for a watercolour, hence impressive) to a more compact A4 size.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">Whether it's my paintings, <a href="http://thesoundsinsidemyhead.blogspot.co.nz/2011/02/ngati-ahia.html">performances</a> or projects with <a href="http://parlourgroup.wordpress.com/">Parlour</a>, art is a way for me to communicate generosity and élan vital to others.<br /><br />When I make a watercolour painting, I want the <b>joy</b> of the medium to be on display. For me, it's important that the electricity of the brushstroke/line gets transferred onto the viewer, you know? Zap!</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1uZALrIyT2E/VGcG8iyX3bI/AAAAAAAAAv0/YJ6VsNjEpiQ/s1600/Cascade%2B(2011)%2B-%2BLydia%2BChai.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1uZALrIyT2E/VGcG8iyX3bI/AAAAAAAAAv0/YJ6VsNjEpiQ/s1600/Cascade%2B%282011%29%2B-%2BLydia%2BChai.jpg" height="246" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cascade 52.7 x 34.5cm (c) Lydia Chai</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><br />These paintings grew out of my fascination with aerial roots, the kind you see on orchids or mangroves. It's awesome how aerial roots can subsist off the ground, garnering nutrients from the air around them.<br /><br />In these paintings, I use the roots as a metaphor for being without a homeland, at the same time being able to flourish on one's own.<br /><br />It's like we artists are aerial roots ourselves, able to traverse cultures and discourses, while making art that is informed by different environments and ideas.<br /><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4xosRhqsXWI/VGcHF4MHoJI/AAAAAAAAAwI/4epn8ucw8e8/s1600/Plethora%2B115%2Bx%2B69cm.tif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4xosRhqsXWI/VGcHF4MHoJI/AAAAAAAAAwI/4epn8ucw8e8/s1600/Plethora%2B115%2Bx%2B69cm.tif" height="385" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Plethora 115 x 69cm (c) Lydia Chai</td></tr></tbody></table><br />I sometimes paint in a very large format which is unusual for watercolour works. If you've ever <a href="http://thesoundsinsidemyhead.blogspot.co.nz/2009/08/when-all-else-fails.html">stretched watercolour paper</a>, you know how difficult this makes the whole process!<br /><i><br /></i><i>Plethora</i>&nbsp;(above), for eg, is the largest watercolour that I've done using the largest brushes that I own. This is to create a more effective or immediate transfer of energy from the work to the viewer. The large scale of the work also references my bodily size.<br /><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7mmKKjbnIeo/VGcG_jL8B-I/AAAAAAAAAwA/x3FKEZJQpr4/s1600/moby%2Bdick%2Bpart_2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7mmKKjbnIeo/VGcG_jL8B-I/AAAAAAAAAwA/x3FKEZJQpr4/s1600/moby%2Bdick%2Bpart_2.JPG" height="281" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Moby Dick Part II 42.5 x 32.5cm (c) Lydia Chai</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">I've always thought of these paintings as visual puzzles that I set up for myself to solve, like how to balance energy and movement within a composition.&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">For eg, you can see broad brushstrokes akin to calligraphy butted up against more rigid and clearly delineated forms, creating tension between the loose and rigid.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp;&nbsp;</span></span><br /><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">It's a lot like music, really...</span></div></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4F1-c5r5zik/VGcH8KH10iI/AAAAAAAAAwU/0Um3CbCmpkU/s1600/hotdog.tiff" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4F1-c5r5zik/VGcH8KH10iI/AAAAAAAAAwU/0Um3CbCmpkU/s1600/hotdog.tiff" height="400" width="288" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Treble 32 x 25cm (c) Lydia Chai</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"></div><br />...balancing colours, tonality, ‘weight’ and humour within a painting is an exercise in rhythm!<br /><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Vid8P2NJQCk/VGcG8rDjfPI/AAAAAAAAAv4/d9jbBvLtFsE/s1600/angkor%2Bwat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Vid8P2NJQCk/VGcG8rDjfPI/AAAAAAAAAv4/d9jbBvLtFsE/s1600/angkor%2Bwat.jpg" height="280" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After Angkor Wat 30 x 21cm (c) Lydia Chai</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">So buy yourself a friendly work of art! You'll be making one gorgeous baby a happy (sleepy) camper while you're at it.&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Email me - cloudsofcoffee &nbsp;at &nbsp;yahoo &nbsp;dot &nbsp;com - for the price list and more information. Prices start at NZD50.</div>gnutehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04531420382594855447noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21655305.post-28559226239922329042014-11-15T20:42:00.000+13:002014-11-16T00:01:32.762+13:00Werckmeister Harmonies<div style="text-align: justify;">Man, I love long takes. Here is the ten-minute masterpiece of a take that opens Béla Tarr's Werckmeister Harmóniák (Werckmeister Harmonies) (2000):</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/_d5X2t_s9g8" width="560"></iframe><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I love everything about this scene. I love how it plays out like a theatre performance captured on film, without compromising its film format. I love how the shuffling of feet roots the viewer in the scruffy bar setting while the character Valuska waxes on about heavenly bodies. Even in this single scene there is a crescendo when the camera rises above the lamp and rests on the tableau of drunkards enacting a solar eclipse. I love how deftly the camera moves around the merry-go-round of staggering dancers. And how many times, you wonder, did the film crew have to rebuild that fire after it had been extinguished?</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Werckmeister Harmóniák is shot in 39 long, languid and elegant takes. Its narrative is so subtle that I'd describe the movie as a collection of abstract and beautifully shot scenes.&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Let's manage a synopsis anyway: The film is about a grim and dreary town that is on the brink of having a violent revolution. A circus show arrives in the town, its only attractions being the preserved carcass of a mammoth whale and a sinister dwarf-like figure called 'the Prince' - the arrival of both somehow triggers violent behaviour in people. The Prince is a mysterious figure who is only seen in shadow and whose voice sounds rather like a radio.&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Just as the opening scene illustrates the movements of our solar system, so do all the characters revolve around the central figure of Valuska. Valuska is a simple, gentle and dreamy young man who does the paper round, takes care of his uncle(?) György Eszter who has retreated from society to flesh out his theories on music, and seems to do the bidding of most people around him (though he isn't bullied into errands; he is well loved among the townfolk).<br /><br />[I'm gonna pause here briefly to say that it's impossible to have 'spoilers' when discussing this film. It would be like having a spoiler alert for a poem; I could tell you what happens in the poem but it wouldn't diminish your experience of it.]</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Valuska acts as a messenger between uncle&nbsp;György and his estranged wife Tünde.&nbsp;György&nbsp;is called upon by&nbsp;Tünde&nbsp;to take on a leadership role and calm the anxiety-ridden town, but&nbsp;Tünde is only persuading him to do this so that she may become a prominent member of society again. In the end,&nbsp;György is impotent to stop the violent momentum of the thuggish townfolk (and the thugs who arrive from other towns to see the whale).</div><br /><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/ykpJkf76X04" width="560"></iframe> The film culminates in another well-choreographed scene (above) in which the mob charges into a hospital and pulverizes its feeble inhabitants. This scene is bloodless, yet portrays the viciousness of man in all its mindless glory. The mob's momentum screeches to a halt, however, at the sight of an old, emaciated man naked in a bathtub - a reminder of humanity amidst brutishness. How quickly the emotion transforms from aggression into shame here.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xbS-WJYssXI/TewGk4klGQI/AAAAAAAAAgk/DqLdZC6yAVc/s1600/lars+rudolph.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xbS-WJYssXI/TewGk4klGQI/AAAAAAAAAgk/DqLdZC6yAVc/s320/lars+rudolph.jpg" height="196" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br />Who knows what the whale symbolizes? The dignity of the ancients? The sublime? Somehow I feel like it doesn't matter. Maybe the whale simply acts as a witness to the doings of mankind. Its glassy inert eye is impervious to human suffering. Perhaps this is how Valuska and the whale are similar; they are both innocent witnesses who get damaged along the way, but Valuska carries the heart and hope of the film.&nbsp;Valuska is captivated by the whale and possesses an astute understanding of what is happening to his town on a psychic level.<br /><br />The images in&nbsp;Werckmeister Harmóniák&nbsp;are indeed memorable. I think Béla Tarr manages this not only by composing his shots well, but by lingering on them so that they burn into one's memory. I've heard this type of filmmaking described as a 'cinema of patience'. But you don't read a poem for a punchline, do you?<br /><br /><br /><br /></div>gnutehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04531420382594855447noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21655305.post-14705462868785446712014-10-23T10:37:00.002+13:002014-10-23T10:37:27.348+13:00Note to self<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-phiW-TUnPhw/VEgh_YNmLvI/AAAAAAAAAuw/Bv9PpghLkgk/s1600/DSC_0129.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-phiW-TUnPhw/VEgh_YNmLvI/AAAAAAAAAuw/Bv9PpghLkgk/s1600/DSC_0129.jpg" height="272" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">The whale is my strength.</div><div style="text-align: center;">The river is my resourcefulness.</div><div style="text-align: center;">The desert is my drive.</div>gnutehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04531420382594855447noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21655305.post-36474079214127745992013-08-28T19:55:00.000+12:002013-08-28T19:55:29.628+12:00Like it's ChristmasMore sonic goodies from my Soundcloud.<br /><br /><iframe frameborder="no" height="166" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F107473324" width="100%"></iframe> <iframe frameborder="no" height="166" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F107111987" width="100%"></iframe> <iframe frameborder="no" height="166" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F102939684" width="100%"></iframe> <iframe frameborder="no" height="166" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F84665645" width="100%"></iframe> <iframe frameborder="no" height="166" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F84664504" width="100%"></iframe> gnutehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04531420382594855447noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21655305.post-2688996922742030542013-07-20T22:31:00.000+12:002013-07-20T22:31:02.700+12:00Living things<div style="text-align: center;">Vegetables from my garden to be juiced into an energy drink! </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Kale + spinach + lettuce + yarrow + parsley + carrot + ginger + lemon + aloe vera</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Ss7xOMI5BOo/Uepmea1xxXI/AAAAAAAAAlc/DMnYD11VkE8/s1600/veg+juice.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Ss7xOMI5BOo/Uepmea1xxXI/AAAAAAAAAlc/DMnYD11VkE8/s320/veg+juice.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />gnutehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04531420382594855447noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21655305.post-19883279872775103182013-06-01T12:13:00.000+12:002013-06-01T12:13:38.018+12:00Phoenix Foundation, the Sundae SessionsHere's a great New Zealand band, back in the saddle. Their new drummer lives up to expectations, too. <object id="flashObj" width="620" height="398" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=9,0,47,0"><param name="movie" value="http://c.brightcove.com/services/viewer/federated_f9?isVid=1" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><param name="flashVars" value="videoId=2419273792001&linkBaseURL=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nzherald.co.nz%2Fentertainment%2Fnews%2Farticle.cfm%3Fc_id%3D1501119%26objectid%3D10885538&playerID=2176472546001&playerKey=AQ~~,AAABMJhsZrk~,Rpmqih9k2v3w7a5_pZ1YUxRlh2hqgZSa&domain=embed&dynamicStreaming=true" /><param name="base" value="http://admin.brightcove.com" /><param name="seamlesstabbing" value="false" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><param name="swLiveConnect" value="true" /><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always" /><embed src="http://c.brightcove.com/services/viewer/federated_f9?isVid=1" bgcolor="#FFFFFF" flashVars="videoId=2419273792001&linkBaseURL=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nzherald.co.nz%2Fentertainment%2Fnews%2Farticle.cfm%3Fc_id%3D1501119%26objectid%3D10885538&playerID=2176472546001&playerKey=AQ~~,AAABMJhsZrk~,Rpmqih9k2v3w7a5_pZ1YUxRlh2hqgZSa&domain=embed&dynamicStreaming=true" base="http://admin.brightcove.com" name="flashObj" width="620" height="398" seamlesstabbing="false" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowFullScreen="true" swLiveConnect="true" allowScriptAccess="always" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/shockwave/download/index.cgi?P1_Prod_Version=ShockwaveFlash"></embed></object>gnutehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04531420382594855447noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21655305.post-77721010927693504142012-09-29T11:00:00.004+12:002013-06-01T11:46:35.474+12:00More music <iframe frameborder="no" height="166" scrolling="no" src="http://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F53606835&amp;show_artwork=true" width="100%"></iframe>gnutehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04531420382594855447noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21655305.post-62352349623666395712012-08-28T15:30:00.003+12:002012-08-28T15:30:48.660+12:00Move by Lydia ChaiHere's what you can achieve with a zero budget, a talented crew &amp; patient friends. Hope you enjoy my first music video :) <br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="281" mozallowfullscreen="mozallowfullscreen" src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/48061980?title=0&amp;byline=0&amp;portrait=0&amp;color=8cb2c2" webkitallowfullscreen="webkitallowfullscreen" width="500"></iframe> <br /><a href="http://vimeo.com/48061980">Lydia Chai - Move (super 16mm music video)</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/unkofilms">Unko Films</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.gnutehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04531420382594855447noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21655305.post-87454363514182145652012-04-02T22:48:00.000+12:002013-06-01T11:47:12.882+12:00On a larkI've been making music lately.<br /><br /><iframe frameborder="no" height="166" scrolling="no" src="http://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F48570656&amp;show_artwork=true" width="100%"></iframe> <br /><iframe frameborder="no" height="166" scrolling="no" src="http://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F40776206&amp;show_artwork=true" width="100%"></iframe>gnutehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04531420382594855447noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21655305.post-51042318066094015372012-03-21T22:06:00.000+13:002012-03-21T22:06:21.314+13:00Mokau horizon<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NeXEBzDi6So/T2mQPxaupXI/AAAAAAAAAj8/-mmyjXxgA5w/s1600/DSC04575.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="287" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NeXEBzDi6So/T2mQPxaupXI/AAAAAAAAAj8/-mmyjXxgA5w/s400/DSC04575.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">This is the view from Mokau looking west towards the Tasman Sea. On this day, the ocean was as still as glass - like you could walk on it and keep walking until your feet found another land.&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">You can see here the gentle curve of the planet. The same curve that determines the shape of a crescent moon.&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">That horizon looks like many things:&nbsp;a tightrope, a silver wall,&nbsp;a fallen sword.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div>gnutehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04531420382594855447noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21655305.post-68380543851168554562012-03-13T22:50:00.003+13:002013-06-01T12:05:54.760+12:00Einstein<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xFvtDKoNnsA/T18QV2o8Y4I/AAAAAAAAAj0/2E7JzNIzn5g/s1600/doodley.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xFvtDKoNnsA/T18QV2o8Y4I/AAAAAAAAAj0/2E7JzNIzn5g/s640/doodley.jpg" width="282" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image (c) Lydia Chai</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>Einstein recognized that temporal specifications, too, are relative and depend on the observer. In everyday life, the impression that we can arrange the events around us in a unique time sequence is created by the fact that the velocity of light - 186,000 miles per second - is so high, compared to any other velocity we experience, that we can assume we are observing events at the instant they are occurring. This, however, is incorrect. Light needs some time to travel from the event to the observer. Normally, this time is so short that the propagation of light can be considered to be instantaneous; but when the observer moves with a high velocity with respect to the observed phenomena, the time span between the occurrence of an event and its observation plays a crucial role in establishing a sequence of events. Einstein realized that in such a case, observers moving at different velocities will order events differently in time. Two events which are seen as occurring simultaneously by one observer may occur in different temporal sequences for others. For ordinary velocities, the differences are so small that they cannot be detected, but when the velocities approach the speed of light, they give rise to measurable effects. In high energy physics, where the events are interactions between particles moving almost at the speed of light, the relativity of time is well established and has been confirmed by countless experiments.</i></div><br />- Fritjof Capra<br /><br />gnutehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04531420382594855447noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21655305.post-20783467010662807372012-01-22T20:53:00.003+13:002012-01-25T20:18:39.656+13:00RangitotoIt's as if it calls out to me. Whenever the new year comes around, I feel compelled to visit Rangitoto, a volcanic island that sits in the Hauraki gulf. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-a5bE5VBPk2A/Txu82WZAW1I/AAAAAAAAAjg/3NAf69wVPss/s1600/rangitoto+distance.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-a5bE5VBPk2A/Txu82WZAW1I/AAAAAAAAAjg/3NAf69wVPss/s320/rangitoto+distance.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />As far as Auckland tourist destinations go, it doesn't get more exotic than this. Rangitoto has an intense terrain of loose scoria. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KEZ4RhQDq2I/TxuyQaWv6wI/AAAAAAAAAjY/YhuCFOpa3CM/s1600/rangitoto+scoria.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KEZ4RhQDq2I/TxuyQaWv6wI/AAAAAAAAAjY/YhuCFOpa3CM/s320/rangitoto+scoria.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />The volcano itself is six hundred years old but there still isn't much vegetation growing on it. Even birds don't yet feel at home here; when I stop to rest and close my eyes, I don't hear any birdsong. <br /><br />So I think I go there while the year is still new because the terrain itself is like a carte blanche of sorts. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KGKhR-7YRP0/TxuyKyQyehI/AAAAAAAAAjI/2P9alsEsDo4/s1600/DSC04400.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KGKhR-7YRP0/TxuyKyQyehI/AAAAAAAAAjI/2P9alsEsDo4/s320/DSC04400.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />One of the joys of hiking in New Zealand is seeing the lichens that hang off the trees and carpet the ground, making the forest all velvety and mint-green.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KAqrxNRZzEQ/TxuyNxZQ0uI/AAAAAAAAAjQ/SrDOyV66ghg/s1600/DSC04415.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KAqrxNRZzEQ/TxuyNxZQ0uI/AAAAAAAAAjQ/SrDOyV66ghg/s320/DSC04415.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />At the summit, a sense of exhaustion and accomplishment.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ZDNsRoeakEo/Txuw4lS7B6I/AAAAAAAAAjA/45juConz-J4/s1600/DSC04394.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ZDNsRoeakEo/Txuw4lS7B6I/AAAAAAAAAjA/45juConz-J4/s320/DSC04394.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />And if it's a rainy day, one gets a marvelous view of the clouds.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1MK08MWOrtQ/Txu-RKsgAqI/AAAAAAAAAjs/QFD8_r3z8AA/s1600/DSC04402.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1MK08MWOrtQ/Txu-RKsgAqI/AAAAAAAAAjs/QFD8_r3z8AA/s400/DSC04402.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />After climbing this volcano a few times, the view doesn't really matter anymore. What I enjoy these days is feeling myself move in the world, a tiny speck of energy crawling over this side of the planet - moving while the planet itself whirrs, and while the ground beneath roils around like an insomniac.<br /><br /><a href="http://thesoundsinsidemyhead.blogspot.com/2009/12/rangitoto-in-summer.html">Related post</a>gnutehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04531420382594855447noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21655305.post-3698349851417526352011-12-04T17:31:00.000+13:002011-12-04T17:31:56.424+13:00Seasons greetings from our art collective<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JP1FO2PbXNg/Ttr3XEz-1hI/AAAAAAAAAis/hgqMaLOty5A/s1600/Parlour+Massage+group+featured+img.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: justify;"><img border="0" height="245" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JP1FO2PbXNg/Ttr3XEz-1hI/AAAAAAAAAis/hgqMaLOty5A/s400/Parlour+Massage+group+featured+img.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Parlour is (from left) Kirsten Dryburgh, Harriet Stockman, <br />Vera Mey (getting a massage) &amp; Lydia Chai...</td></tr></tbody></table><b><a href="http://parlourgroup.wordpress.com/">Parlour</a></b> gave away free massages, lemon cake and lemonade this weekend.<br /><br />That's it from us this year.<br /><br />Enjoy your holidays and see you next year when we launch our new projects!gnutehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04531420382594855447noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21655305.post-41916664704484301742011-11-23T13:32:00.002+13:002011-11-23T13:34:31.559+13:00Christmas is round the corner<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JXFwNbDWsr8/Tsw9gY-IA6I/AAAAAAAAAik/HusznDSk0nM/s1600/DSC04266.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JXFwNbDWsr8/Tsw9gY-IA6I/AAAAAAAAAik/HusznDSk0nM/s400/DSC04266.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">So I painted a series of wrapping papers. But I don't have any gifts. Perhaps the wrapping could be the gift itself. It is late Spring now and the honeysuckle have blossomed. It would be great if I could capture their sweet vanilla scent and wrap it up with these sheets of paper for Christmas.&nbsp;</div>gnutehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04531420382594855447noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21655305.post-86689836486118764692011-11-03T13:23:00.000+13:002011-11-23T13:24:14.806+13:00Berlin<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xQr0-yslIgI/Tq_bP5eWBDI/AAAAAAAAAh8/ebKx8ko0iGo/s1600/DSC04193.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xQr0-yslIgI/Tq_bP5eWBDI/AAAAAAAAAh8/ebKx8ko0iGo/s400/DSC04193.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Reading Kafka &amp; nibbling on chorizo</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div>gnutehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04531420382594855447noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21655305.post-82873026674929102682011-09-18T20:46:00.000+12:002011-09-18T20:46:11.771+12:00Recent activity<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3EiTZLiz-0Q/TnWvoT_vrAI/AAAAAAAAAg4/avNXv5fZ0Po/s1600/parlour.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3EiTZLiz-0Q/TnWvoT_vrAI/AAAAAAAAAg4/avNXv5fZ0Po/s320/parlour.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Oh yeah, my friends and I started an art collective called <a href="http://parlourgroup.wordpress.com/"><b>Parlour</b></a>.<br /><br />So far, we have organized one <a href="http://parlourgroup.wordpress.com/midwinter-parlour-games/">online project</a> and also kick-started a series of exhibitions in <a href="http://parlourgroup.wordpress.com/2011/09/11/parlour-peeps-art-in-artists-living-spaces/">artists' living spaces</a>.<br /><br />In the future, we also plan to organize <a href="http://parlourgroup.wordpress.com/crits-biscuits/">informal critique sessions</a> for artists.<br /><br />The dope's all <b><a href="http://parlourgroup.wordpress.com/">here</a>!</b>gnutehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04531420382594855447noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21655305.post-29274088454759839442011-08-14T22:35:00.003+12:002011-08-15T22:40:16.143+12:00Something like sharpening pencils<div class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YI12kv7QlsI/TkekoLT1knI/AAAAAAAAAg0/C3tzMIr0ctU/s1600/whakatane+trip+vineyards.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YI12kv7QlsI/TkekoLT1knI/AAAAAAAAAg0/C3tzMIr0ctU/s200/whakatane+trip+vineyards.JPG" width="200" /></a><b>words</b><br /><br />I write the words but I feed on them too. Not quite like cannibalism. It is like purging myself in order to create more space within. Then, once my words are in the world, they transform unexpectedly. Almost instantaneously, they sow seeds and grow into something else. I think the creative process is about that movement, having that breath, like pumping the blood in and out. Keep putting things out into the world so that your soul can breathe better and nourish itself once more.<br /><br /><b>sounds</b><br /><br />Today I have been thinking about sound... Perhaps sound waves are the very definition of Life because they denote movement. Nature abhors a vacuum and all that. Li-Young Lee wrote in a poem that the 'first sound' was Water - a biblical image. Then I started thinking about the sounds we don't hear that are all around us. We are bathed in soundwaves all the time. We are sound itself, and we form part of that ongoing musical score that the universe is performing.<br /><br /><b>goodnight</b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />Have a good week ahead, everybody.</div>gnutehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04531420382594855447noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21655305.post-91945988844340144262011-08-07T03:19:00.000+12:002011-08-07T03:19:35.357+12:00Meditations on a Saturday night<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/4Fy63Y1qAMI" width="560"></iframe><br /><br /><br />When faced with an obstacle,&nbsp;dance through it.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">Move with it so that it becomes a part of you.<br /><br />When that happens, there is no more obstacle.<br /><br /><br /></div>gnutehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04531420382594855447noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21655305.post-26537230216962153572011-07-28T23:17:00.000+12:002011-07-28T23:17:16.358+12:00The shoulders of giantsMy strength comes from the knowledge that I walk with my ancestors; they have paid for my crown, how can I not wear it? It's 2011, I'm a Malaysian woman making a decent living and doing what I love and I am making art. All this is possible because of the people who fought for my independence before I was born. Thank you so much.gnutehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04531420382594855447noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21655305.post-52648923334932789552011-07-10T15:03:00.004+12:002011-07-10T17:07:40.540+12:00"Poetry has now become something extraordinary; it has now become a weapon"<i><a href="http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/168143">National laureate probed over 'seditious poem'.&nbsp;</a>(27/6/2011)&nbsp;"Poetry has now become something extraordinary; it has now become a weapon," he told a throng of journalists jostling to hear the soft-spoken man.</i><br /><br /><b><br /></b><br /><b>Unggun Bersih</b><br /><br />Semakin lara kita didera bara—<br />kita laungkan juga pesan merdeka:<br />Demokrasi sebenderang mentari<br />sehasrat hajat semurni harga diri.<br /><br />Lama resah kita—demokrasi luka;<br />lama duka kita—demokrasi lara.<br />Demokrasi yang angkuh, kita cemuhi;<br />suara bebas yang utuh, kita idami!<br /><br />Dua abad lalu Sam Adams berseru:<br />(di Boston dijirus teh ke laut biru):<br />Tak diperlu gempita sorak yang gebu,<br />diperlu hanya unggun api yang syahdu.<br /><br />Kini menyalalah unggun sakti itu;<br />kini merebaklah nyala unggun itu.<br /><br /><br />--<br /><br />24—25, 6.11. <a href="http://samadsaid.wordpress.com/">A. Samad Said</a>, Malaysia's national laureate.<br />Listen to our dear poet's recital (with guitar accompaniment!) <a href="http://soundcloud.com/a-samad-said/unggun-bersih">here</a>.<br />An English translation has been attempted <a href="http://fabm.wordpress.com/2011/07/08/unggun-bersih-cleansing-fire/">here</a>.gnutehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04531420382594855447noreply@blogger.com1